Major apparel brands launch replica of FIFA World Cup jerseys

Forget the Armani suits this summer. The evenings belong to the boys night out this FIFA season. Most of the high-end bars and clubs in the metros have rigged up large screens and one finds men huddled together with their drinks, excitedly watching the World Cup matches into the wee hours. So surely, it's your favourite soccer team's T-shirt that you're looking for.

You could check out the Adidas soccer merchandise collection which has tees of favourite national teams such as Spain, Argentina, Germany and many more. Driven by sports mania in the country, football too is creating ripples across India. But this is not where it stops for Adidas, the brand plans to extend the marketing fervour beyond the World Cup. "We will have a football campaign after FIFA season. We are planning to sell merchandise of famous football clubs in India," says Mr Andreas Gellener, managing director of Adidas. Splurging on the soccer superstar Lionel Messi's national soccer tee is definitely not a bad idea. The official jersey of this team comes for Rs 2,999 while the T-shirts are for Rs 1,699.

You could take your passion for football beyond the World Cup too. You could travel overseas to watch your favourite clubs fighting it out on the field and show your love for your club in style. Cheer your favourite Chelsea FC team with the team's soccer tee on. The T-shirt can also be personalised with your favourite player's name and number printed on it. A Chelsea's home T-shirt 2010/11 with A. Cole 3 printing will cost ?42.99. A die-hard fan of Manchester United can cheer the team with their club's T-shirt on. The club's home T-shirt with Hargreaves 4 printing is priced at ?43.94.

In India, Nike is committed to inspiring sports enthusiasts by creating unique experiences with consumers and providing access to the best performance product. Nike offers football fans a spectrum of club merchandise that includes national and club replica jerseys. Some of the national replica jerseys include Brazil and Portugal which are available for Rs 2,795. "The demand for football T-shirts and other merchandise is on the rise as consumers want great products for a great environment. The focus is on the long-term plans for growing Nike and football and World Cup 2010 is not a destination, it is a landmark in Nike's history," says Sanjay Gangopadhyay, marketing director, Nike India.

Caught in the FIFA frenzy, FCUK too has come up with soccer T-shirts. So be it England, Italy or Brazil, football maniacs can now pump up the adrenaline with their team colours. World Cup tees are priced at Rs 1699 and available at French Connection stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Bangalore. "The FCUK collection of World Cup tee was an exciting precursor to the event and since the start of FIFA it has gone into full swing. In fact, these T-shirts were selling well even two to three weeks before the World Cup began. This is mainly due to the fact that football, especially the World Cup has a lot of die hard fans and is one of the most watched sport in India," says Mansi Zaveri, manager marketing and communications, French Connection.